The Americans are coming! When Rachel and Raymond decided to travel abroad, they knew everyone at home would want to hear all about their adventures. Here you can find stories about travel preparations, unforgettable places, what they've learned and their college experience abroad.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Merci!

We had such a beautiful weekend in Paris. The city had such grace, delicious food, gorgeous language, and nice people!

Walking through the city was a dream come true. I even tried speaking some French, and they usually understood at least a word of what I said! :)

We took an early flight out of Birmingham so we had plenty of time to explore our first day in the city. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the place of legends. Raymond was able to view relics and garments of St. Louis (the man Raymond's home town is named after!), and I took plenty of pictures of the famous stained-glass windows.

Next we meandered through the streets, soaking in the music, sunshine, and wonderful smells coming from restaurants all over the river area. My Nutella crepe was cooked to perfection (yummmm), and before turning in for the night we went to see the famous Arc, the one Nazi's, Allied forces, and Napoleon all marched through.

The next morning we went to see one of the most famous art galleries in the world: The Lourve. You would not believe how giant the building is! We could have spent three days in the museum and not seen everything. We did however manage to see the ORIGINAL Mona Lisa (right in front of our eyes), as well as some other famous works I'm sure you will recognize in the photos below.

That afternoon we placed a lock of our own on one of Paris' most famous bridges, called the "Love-lock bridge." The tradition of couples placing a lock on a bridge and throwing the key into the river started here, in Paris, and then spread to other major cities. We locked one up with the other thousand over the Seine River, hopefully to stay there until we return someday!

Over dinner we tried true French cuisine, including Onion Soup, frog legs, and creme brûlée, and after we visited the Eiffel Tower and the Christmas Market in Paris. We found churros (we've missed them!) and other delicious goodies. Overall though, the market was very similar to the one we have in Birmingham, but much more crowded.

This morning we flew back to England, to finish our classes before we go home. I can hardly believe all the places we have had the opportunity to visit--Rome, London, Dublin, Paris--and Scotland is yet to come.